Azerbaijan's
20th century was shaped by events that took place early in the
19th century. Two Russo-Persian wars (1804-1813 and 1826-1828)
resulted in treaties signed between Russia and Persia - the Treaty
of Gulustan (1813) and the Treaty of Turkmanchai (1928) which
divided the khanates of Azerbaijan between those two nations
creating a northern and southern Azerbaijan.

New InfluencesFor
those of us living in the northern region dominated by Russia
(now the Republic of Azerbaijan), it marked a new era which influenced
us politically, culturally and socially and it contrasted markedly
with the Islamic influences of the previous millennium. Wide
exposure to European science and culture gave rise to our first
national media, theater and secular schools. Literature became
greatly enriched, and new genres and forms came into being.

Prior to this time, Azerbaijanis had never differentiated between
their national and religious identities. When asked: "What's
your nationality?", the answer had always been "Muslim".
With these new influences came a new national consciousness.

Even during periods of domination, it was literature that enabled
the nation to recognize its own distinctiveness. Later, literature
helped formulate a national ideology. Had we lived under other
circumstances, instead of being under Russia and later, the Soviet
Union, these ideals could have been implemented at the State
level.

Historically, Azerbaijanis have always loved the Word and have
highly esteemed their poets and writers as philosophers and thinkers.
But during these past two centuries, it was through the Word
- through literature - that Azerbaijanis gleaned their ideals
of freedom and their hopes for an independent state.

The question of national identity and the role that literature
plays in shaping it is somewhat like the proverbial expression:
"Which came first - the chicken or the egg?" Both influenced
the creation of the other. It is said that the history of 19th
century France was created by the writer Balzac. The same thing
could be said about Azerbaijan's writers and poets, who had a
tremendous influence on the history of Azerbaijan during the
20th century.

Human TouchTwo
trends in literature manifested themselves at the beginning of
the 20th century. Writers, journalists and poets emphasized the
importance of education and science. At the same time, they examined
the moral dilemmas related to human suffering. Such writers include
Mirza Alakbar Sabir (page 19), Jalil Mammadguluzade (18, 24, 30), Abdurrahim Hagverdiyev,
Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, Mahammad Hadi and Husein Javid (20).

Specific examples include "The Letter Did Not Reach"by Abdulla Shaig (22) and "In the
Realm of Oil and Millions" by Ibrahim Musabeyov. Both works
emphasized the tremendous difficulties in life for those working
in the oil industry and the fact that "black gold"
does not always bring happiness. The same is true of Husein Javid's
work, "Conversation
between Shafiga and Masud" (20).

At the beginning of the 20th century, Azerbaijan felt the psychological
weight of two immense burdens. Like Georgia and Armenia, Azerbaijan
also was oppressed by Czarist Russia. But there was an additional
complication: Azerbaijan was traditionally Muslim and that fact
alone deprived it of the Christian solidarity of the region and
of the dominating power-Russia. Thus, Azerbaijanis suffered even
more prejudice and discrimination.

Let me site one illustration: Kazan University in Russia was
established to educate the Muslim Turks of the region. However,
the school had a policy of teaching the Russian language in such
an inferior way that the students who managed to graduate had
less grasp of the language than most illiterate Russian peasants
did. These students were greatly handicapped and felt embarrassed
and ashamed of their inadequacies.

The great Turkic poet and state figure of the 11th century, Yusif
Balasagunlu, once wrote, "Ignorance is the mother of all
evils." Jalil Mammadguluzade (1866-1932), who became the
editor of the influential political and social
satirical journal, "Molla Nasraddin", wrote in his memoirs,
"The first time I opened my eyes to see the world, I saw
only darkness." Sabir (1862-1911), a poet and contributor
to the same journal, described the pain and problems of the society
using the nickname "Crying-Laughing." He was deeply
pained by the conditions that he saw around him.

Brief IndependenceThese
writings, plus those of Ahmad Agha-oghlu and Ali Huseinzade,
set the stage for the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic
Republic in 1918. At the time, national symbols such as the flag,
the national army and the national anthem became important topics
for writers and poets such as Ahmad Javad, who wrote Azerbaijan's
first National
Anthem(29).

But the joy of independence did not last long. Only 23 short
months later, on April 28, 1920, the Bolsheviks attacked and
occupied Baku. They came with enticing promises, but their primary
goal was to rescue the Russian Empire from death. The Bolsheviks
set out to destroy the intellectual potential of the nation.
They were determined to wipe out those among the intelligentsia
who were struggling to preserve national identity and independence.

The truth is that the notorious Repression carried about by Stalin
in 1937 really began in the 1920s. Had the policy actually been
carried out at that time, it would have been the death knell
for the Bolshevik Empire.

The approach that the Bolsheviks took in destroying the intellectual
foundation of the nation was two-fold. First, they tried to create
intellectuals out of workers and peasants. Second, they tried
to make these pseudo-intellectuals "megaphones" of
their own propaganda. The damage they inflicted was considerable;
the members of the "pseudo-intelligentsia" became the
real enemies of the genuine intelligentsia. For example, the
magazine "Molla Nasraddin" (1906-1931), which had been
so progressive and influential in the years leading up to national
independence (1918), was branded as "atheist" and its
editor was made to burn many of his manuscripts. In this way,
the Bolsheviks carried out their policy of "the breaking
of pens."

The Bolsheviks had one prescription for literature and art: praise
and propagation of the Party ideology and glorification of the
Soviet system. In this way, the history of the nation became
distorted, erasing national consciousness and identity. Russia,
the "jailer of nations," was becoming a country that
maintained "mangurts"-people of ancient times, who
from childhood were like slaves at the disposal of their masters.
Words were valued for their political and ideological content,
not for their literary or cultural merit. Soviet writers were
obliged to glorify the Great October Socialist Revolution [1917],
"the Great Leader of the Proletariat" [Lenin] and "the
Father of Nations" [Stalin].

The story is told how once a Party official called the writer
Husein Javid(1882-1944)
to his office and asked him why he did not write about tractors
and combines. Javid replied by asking why such pictures were
not hanging on the wall in the official's own office. Javid later
was sent off to labor camps in Siberia, where he died six years
later.

Writers became concerned that literature was not dealing with
the pain, joy and problems of humanity. Instead, it was the Soviet
man, the Soviet teacher, the Soviet doctor and the Soviet soldier
that were mandatory topics. Failing to write about the idealism
of the Soviet state was considered insubordination and divisive.

In one of his poems, Rasul Reza describes the following situation:
a calf gets sick on one of the collective farms. The milkmaid,
who has left her sick daughter at home, dedicates herself to
nursing the calf for several days. The calf recovers; but we
don't know what happened to the child.

Great Repression
- 1937The
Soviet system "issued a decree" concerning those who
could not reconcile themselves to a society that preferred a
calf over a human being, a society in which people had to live
without history and historical memory. Essentially, that decree
was to "destroy anything that does not break." And
thus it became impossible to halt the momentum of the Repression
that was launched in 1937-1938. Throughout the Soviet Union,
between 4 and 5.5 million people were arrested.

Nearly 1 million of them received the death penalty. The others,
in nearly all cases, were sent off to prisons or labor camps
from which few ever returned. In Azerbaijan, writers such as
Husein Javid, Ahmad Javad, Mikayil Mushfig and Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli
became victims because of their loyalty to their national ideals.

Depression and fear paralyzed the society and brought on a deep
gloom. But not all of those who were faithful to their personal
ideas were annihilated. The fact that some writers did not write
at all does not mean that they were serving the ideology of the
period. They refused to write simply because they did not want
to jeopardize their lives. They knew that the threats were real,
so they became silent, refusing to serve the system and live
a lie.

World War IIMuch
of the Azerbaijani literature concerning World War II resembled
the literature of other Republics - full of praise and propaganda.
However, since war provided a source of pain, death and grief,
writers and poets were able to give a philosophical interpretation
to this tragedy. They could analyze the changes that war made
in the psychology and morality of human beings. Vivid examples
include "Ice Monument" by Anvar Mammadkhanli, "Insane"
by Samad Vurgun, "Pistachio Tree"(48) by Magsud Ibrahimbeyov, "Children's
Game of 1946" (51) by Yusif Samadoglu and "Mother Had Gotten
Old"
(45) by Altay Mammadov. At the same time, there were numerous
works that expressed hatred of the enemy and lauded the courage
and bravery of the Soviet army.

Khrushchev ThawAfter
Stalin's death (1953), Khrushchev came to power (1958-1964) and
the regime somehow "softened", relatively speaking.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, literature attempted to carry
out its true mission. The art of the Word turned its focus on
humanity.

During this "thaw," Azerbaijani literature expanded
in new directions. Rasul Reza's poem "Colors" became
an example of philosophical lyricism. Bakhtiyar Vahabzade's poem
"Gulustan" expressed the anguish at the division of
Azerbaijan between two countries and focused national consciousness
on this wound. Ismayil Shikhli's "Crazy Kur" reminded
the nation of its historical eminence, wpich had been doomed
to oblivion.

More and more literature began to identify humanity in the human
being, expressing confidence that beauty could save the world.
More and more writers could confirm what poet Rasul Reza had
said: "I am happy that I am capable of thinking." This
was a great victory for the Word.

The writers of the 1960s brought about fundamental changes in
society and the literary sphere. These rebels fought against
malaise, inertia, gray monotony and moral and national defamation.

Examples include works such as "Burning Heart" (Isa
Huseinov), "A Sign in the Slope", "Green Theater"
(Sabir Ahmadli), "White Harbor", "A Tale of a
Good King" (Anar), "Baladadash's First Love",
"Death Verdict" (Elchin), "People and Trees",
"Forests on the Banks of the Kur" (Akram Aylisli),
"The Day of Punishment" (Yusif Samadoglu) and "Mill"
(Movlud Suleymanli).

Other writers followed suit, inspiring both human and national
values. They included: Chingiz Huseinov, Rustam and Magsud Ibrahimbeyov,
Afag Masud, Ali Karim, Fikrat Goja, Mammad Araz, Khalil Reza,
Sabir Rustamkhanli, Mammad Ismayil, Eyvaz Borchali, Nusrat Kasamanli,
Vagif Samadoglu, Chingiz Alioglu, Ramiz Roshan and Vagif Bayatli
Onar. The "Gobustan Journal" published during this
period was not only a collection of exceptional literary pieces,
but also a source for the revival of national consciousness.
It allowed for the emergence of a new literary taste and provided
an outlet for increased political activity.

The literature created between the 1960s and 1980s played a great
role in people's lives in terms of freeing the populace from
slavery and enabling them to begin to think independently. The
Word became a source of light, hope, serenity and confidence,
despite the fact that Azerbaijanis were living under a totalitarian
regime.

Azerbaijan's path to independence has been painful. The war with
Armenia (1988-), the tragedy of Black
January
(1990) and the Khojali Genocide (1992) are all written with blood
in the memory and psyche of the nation. However, it is noteworthy
that the national literature that chronicles these tragedies
does not arouse hatred toward the people who inflicted these
tragedies (Russians and Armenians). It focuses more on the tragedy
of the situations themselves.

New EraA nation
is truly a reflection of its literature. If the 20th century
teaches us anything, it is that when the harmony between people
and literature is broken, chauvinism and skepticism and indifference
sets in. Azerbaijani literature of the 20th century has helped
to preserve the highest ideals of the Azerbaijani nation-humanitarianism,
wisdom, hospitality, generosity, love of independence and peace.
Under the circumstances that we have lived through, that's a
significant achievement-it shows that the Word, despite all obstacles
and efforts to the contrary, is truly capable of saving our small
world from destruction.

As we reflect on the mentality of the people of Azerbaijan, it's
clear that the beginning of the 20th century was not so different
from that of the 19th century, because of the colonization by
Russia. However, today, on the eve of the 21st century, we sense
that times have changed. It is a new day and a new millennium.
A new literature is emerging. A new mentality has permeated the
nation; the people want to hold onto their newly acquired freedom.
I'm convinced that this transformation is due, in large part,
to the passion of writers this century who have understood the
power of the Word.